Editor's Notebook

Turns out the President of the United States may not be a misogynist after all. He’s a misanthrope.There is little else to conclude after the events of the past week.It began with the breaking news that White House Staff Secretary for President Donald Trump, Rob Porter, apparently beat two of his ex-wives.The information came to light when the FBI investigated Porter to give him security clearance. The story, complete with pictures of one of his wives with a black eye made the rounds and the White House began spinning like a turbo-charged child’s top.

Gang violence isn’t new in Montgomery County. It isn’t new anywhere in the country.It is dangerous and serious, but the federal government has never been particularly good about dealing with the problem and the Trump administration is particularly inept in its ability to deal with one particular gang - MS-13.The gang has been active for at least a decade and a half in Montgomery County and has been responsible for some horrible crimes, particularly in the immigrant community.John Cronan, an assistant attorney general said Tuesday the Trump administration will not protect immigrants who come forward to testify against MS-13 members - particularly otherwise law-abiding illegal immigrants who fear deportation.

For those who love President Donald Trump, his first State of the Union Address remains an affirmation of the reasons why they voted for the man. Rick Santorum, not the president’s favorite person by far said it was a noteworthy address. It, “is different in that it is laced throughout with narratives.

America is open for business.How refreshing. The United States of America, according to the President of the United States is one giant Walmart ready to do business with the world.That’s the message he’s taking with him to Davos this week, but the world isn’t listening.

I don’t wish to anger anyone but this latest government shutdown has taught me something I long suspected, but now know for a fact – most people have no idea what they’re talking about when it comes to our government though they think they do. They just want to preach.I cover politics, and have for years, and I don’t know. But I want to and I speak with politicians daily to find out what’s going on.Others do not and still tell me they know more than I do – though I often times possess first hand knowledge they do not have.I cannot tell you the number of times people have told me what was said in the White House briefing room – though I was there and they were not.I smile and often just ignore those claims though they seem to be as valid as walking into a doctor’s office with no training and diagnosing what’s wrong with the patient.But that’s not all that bothers me.

Steny Hoyer walked out of the White House with a grim look on his face. He had spent the last two hours sitting next to President Donald Trump in a bipartisan meeting with his GOP counterparts discussing DACA and border security.He walked up with a contingent of Democrats to the makeshift podium in the stakeout area outside of the West Wing near the North Lawn to talk about the issue and amazingly, to some, Hoyer said the president had potentially brokered a deal on border security that would ensure The Dreamers could stay in this country.

North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un just stated that the “Nuclear Button is on his desk at all times.” Will someone from his depleted and food starved regime please inform him that I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his, and my Button works! - President Donald Trump 7:49 PM - 2 Jan 2018

Of all the tweets that have disturbed me from President Donald Trump, one where he recently talked about having a bigger nuclear button than the leader of North Korea disturbed me on a level in a way I thought impossible since the end of the Cold War. I thought I had buried those fears along with the memories of early childhood.

No other president has ever had fewer in the modern era. Ronald Reagan, a man also notoriously known for trying to control the message by limiting his interaction with the press had about a half a dozen news conferences during the same time span.

Presidential supporters like to say the president has circumvented the press by talking directly to the public via his multitude of insulting, demeaning and error-ridden tweets. What he's really done is conducted a sermon through his twitter account and has avoided any accountability to the American people with that move.

For, let's be honest, it isn't just The New York Times and CNN in the press room, there are a variety of reporters from a multitude of media organizations around the world - some who view the president favorably - who are not getting to question the person they've been sent to cover.

Trump controls the message, and convinces his base he is being transparent by refusing to answer questions from the public. And, by only appearing at carefully controlled rallies, he makes it nearly impossible to speak truth to power.

Somewhere between “Covfefe” and “The Bowling Green Massacre,” probably right around the time Kellyanne Conway and others decided President Trump could reside in a nation of “alternative facts,” and definitely after Sean Spicer told us Trump’s inaugural audience was the largest in history, speaking truth to power became irrelevant to the president.Mind you many of us still care about facts. Despite being labeled an “Enemy of the People,” and a supplier of “Fake News” most reporters I know do not gleefully attempt to manipulate reality the way the president does. If we get something wrong then we correct it. And that remains our greatest strength. That’s why you know we’re not wielding the red light sabers.

When my children were small I often told them bedtime stories surrounding the adventures of “Fighting Boys to the Rescue!” Based on the stories my father told me and the stories his father told him, the stories I told had a central character of Ritzinputz the talking squirrel.He was at the center of a group of friends including Captain Velvet from the planet Mars, Ghost Man – who was scared of himself, Frog Man who had a terrible flatulence problem and King Dinosaur who was a big Elvis Presley fan. Together this group righted wrongs, went on adventures and had fun. Of course my children were included in these tales and many a night getting the kids to go to bed was made easier with a “Fighting Boys to the Rescue!” story.

I woke up to hope for the first time in a while this morning – a different America than I’ve experienced in the last year and it wasn’t just because the people of Alabama decided not to elect a racist who despises blacks, gays, and Muslims – oh and is accused of being a serial pedophile.Sure that was part of it, but in the last few days I admit I’ve been waking up more hopeful because of several actions. Looking beyond the daily Twitter litter, I believe President Trump is part of this hope, as is Joe Biden, the Democrats and the Republicans.For those who are looking for the curve ball, that’s not what this is about – well keep your eye on the ball just the same.